The Ravens (12-5) and Browns (3-14) wrapped their common seasons on Saturday with a breezy 35-10 Baltimore win.
With the outcome, the Ravens clinched the AFC North and No. 3 seed within the AFC, whereas the Browns secured a top-three pick within the 2025 NFL Draft.
Listed here are our takeaways from the primary recreation of the Week 18 slate.
Knee-jerk response: Accidents onerous to swallow
Accidents are the worst factor concerning the NFL. And whereas they occur each week, there’s one thing notably miserable about seeing gamers undergo accidents throughout the ultimate week of the common season.
Browns rookie defensive deal with Mike Corridor Jr. suffered a critical damage, needing an air forged earlier than being carted off the sector. Corridor began the 2024 season on the commissioner’s exempt record after being charged with one rely of home violence throughout the summer time — he later pleaded no contest to a lesser cost in September — and his 2025 season may very well be delayed, too.
After being drafted within the second spherical of the 2024 NFL Draft, Corridor has an uphill battle to keep away from being a bust.
Extra worrying was Ravens extensive receiver Zay Flowers’ first-half knee damage. He walked to the locker room underneath his personal energy however was dominated out of the sport. Baltimore wants Flowers wholesome to win its first Tremendous Bowl because the 2012 season.
Wideout Rashod Bateman and security Kyle Hamilton additionally suffered accidents however returned as head coach John Harbaugh left his starters in with the sport out of attain.
Sport co-MVPs: Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry
The Ravens quarterback made NFL historical past towards the Browns, turning into the primary participant with 4,000 passing yards and 800 speeding yards in a single season.
Jackson completed Saturday’s recreation 16-of-32 for 217 yards and two touchdowns and added 9 carries for 63 yards.
With Jackson’s fortieth and forty first touchdowns of the season, he has an absurd 41:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Jackson is the primary participant in league historical past to complete a daily season with a minimum of 40 touchdowns and fewer than 5 interceptions.
However he wasn’t the one Raven to make historical past on Saturday. Operating again Derrick Henry turned the primary participant with a minimum of 1,500 speeding yards and 15 touchdowns in three seasons. He had 20 carries for 138 yards — together with 130 within the second half — and two touchdowns within the Week 18 win.
As Bleacher Report famous, he is additionally the primary participant with a number of seasons with a minimum of 1,800 speeding yards and 15 touchdowns.
With each placing the ending touches on historic seasons, it was unimaginable to select one over the opposite for Week 18 MVP.
Quotable second: ‘Essentially the most loopy, wonderful play in NFL historical past.’
Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce, listed at 355 kilos, had arguably the sport’s most memorable play. Sure, much more memorable than Jackson celebrating his third-quarter landing to Bateman as quickly as he launched the ball.
Late within the fourth quarter, Pierce intercepted Browns quarterback Bailey Zappe at Baltimore’s 16-yard line after dropping again into protection and nabbing a move meant for working again Jacob Kibodi.
Pierce had inexperienced grass and a convoy in entrance of him, however he gave himself up after working six yards, falling to his knees. We will hardly blame him.
Per The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer, who cited Tru Media, Pierce “is the one 355-pound participant with an interception since a minimum of 2000.”
“Essentially the most loopy, wonderful play in NFL historical past,” head coach John Harbaugh stated afterward.
Maybe the craziest a part of the play wasn’t that Pierce notched an interception however that defensive coordinator Zach Orr dropped him again into protection with a 25-point lead and two minutes left within the recreation within the first place.
